Table-top coffee vending machine and method

ABSTRACT

A table-top coffee vending machine providing slide-out storage containers for easy filling and removal, a compact fast acting coffee brewing system and a filter paper cutting and storage system. A plurality of storage containers for ground coffee, hot chocolate ingredient and condiment are provided in a rack system that allows the group of containers to be slid out of the machine cabinet on telescoping rails to allow easy filling and removal of the containers. The brewing method includes simultaneously supplying water and coffee grounds to a brewer, stopping the supply of both, allowing the mixture to steep and then beginning to remove the mixture from the brewer while reinitiating the supply of water to the brewer for a sufficient time to supply a complete cup of coffee at a cup station. The filter paper cutter cuts lengths of paper from a continuous supply of filter paper after it is used in the brewer to filter the coffee. The cutter is saw-toothed and a paper clamping mechanism is used to clamp the paper in the area where it is to be cut. The cut lengths of paper are collected in a removable tray and are compressed into a stack by a sweeper bar that is activated in conjunction with the cutter action.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. Ser. No. 09/396,815, filed Sep.14, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,176,172.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to table-top coffee vending machines andmore particularly to table-top coffee vending machines that brew coffeeby the cup.

Table-top coffee vending machines need to be very compact because of thespace limitations, both vertically and horizontally, that are usuallypresent where such machines are utilized. Additionally, such machinesneed to have substantial capacity to vend many cups of coffee withoutthe need to be serviced, since the cost of service is a substantial costfactor in the profitability of such machines.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention overcomes the difficulties and disadvantages ofprior art table-top coffee vending machines by providing a machine thatis compact and yet requires less frequent service and is easier toservice than other prior art machines. These advantages are achieved byproviding a table-top coffee machine that utilizes easy to fillslide-out coffee, hot chocolate and condiment storage compartments, acompact fast acting coffee brewing system and a filter paper cutting andstorage system.

In one aspect of the present invention, a table-top coffee vendingmachine is provided having a housing, a brewing system with a brewer, ahot chocolate mixing bowl, a hot chocolate and coffee storage systemcomprising at least one storage container having a removable top cap anda dispensing mechanism for dispensing an ingredient therefrom at leastone telescoping rail supporting the at least one storage container forsliding movement between an operating position wherein the rail is in aretracted position and the container is disposed within the housing andthe dispensing mechanism can be operated to supply said ingredient, anda filling position wherein the rail is in an extended position with thecontainer disposed at least partially outside the housing such that thecap can be removed from the container for filling.

In another aspect of the invention a table-top coffee vending machine isprovided having a housing, a brewing system with a brewer, a hotchocolate mixing bowl, an ingredient and coffee storage systemcomprising a pair of storage containers having an opening in the top anda dispensing mechanism associated therewith for dispensing ingredientsfrom the containers a pair of members mounted to the housing andsupporting the pair of containers for movement between an operatingposition wherein the containers are disposed within the housing and thedispensing mechanism can be operated to supply said ingredients, and afilling position wherein the containers are disposed at least partiallyoutside the housing such that the containers can be filled.

In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, apaper cutter is provided comprising a support structure having a frontwall with an elongated slot defined therein over which a paper sheet canpass, a cutting blade support member mounted for movement relative tothe support structure, a cutting blade mounted to the support member formovement therewith, a reciprocating drive mechanism connected to thecutting blade support member so as to move it between a retractedposition in which the blade is disposed remote from the front wall ofthe support structure and an extended position where it passes throughthe slot in the front wall whereby the blade will engage the paperextending over the slot and cut it as the blade moves between theretracted and extended positions. The paper cutter is preferably a sawtooth blade, and more particularly is provided with uneven teeth forpenetrating the filter paper.

The reciprocating drive mechanism preferably includes a compressionplate mounted for reciprocating movement on the blade support member andhas a front wall having a slot therein in alignment with the slot in thefront wall of the support structure, the compression plate being movablebetween an extended position where the blade is remote from the slot inits front wall and a compressed position in which the blade extendsthrough the slot in its front wall, the compression plate further beingbiased toward the extended position, the compression plate being movedfrom its extended position to its compressed position by engagement ofits front wall with the front wall of the support structure with thepaper pressed therebetween as the support member is moved towards itsextended position. In addition, an elongated member is preferablydisposed adjacent the front wall of the support structure along andadjacent the slot therein and is engageable with the paper passing overthe slot so as to urge the paper away from the front wall of the supportstructure when the support member moves toward its retraced position.The elongated member is a preferably a tensioned wire disposed along thelength of the slot.

In another aspect of the present invention, a cut paper collection trayis provided disposed beneath the front wall of the support structure toreceive cut paper therein, the tray having a substantially flat bottomand a front wall adjacent the front wall of the support structure, asweeper bar moveable from a retracted position remote from the frontwall of the tray and a forward position adjacent the front wall of thetray whereby cut pieces of paper are pushed along the bottom of the traytoward the front wall of the tray when the sweeper bar is moved from itsretracted to its forward position. The sweeper bar is preferably mountedto the support structure for pivotal movement between its forward andretracted positions and is operatively connected to the support memberso as to cause movement of the sweeper member from its retractedposition to its forward position as the support member is moved from itsretracted position to its extended position.

In yet a further aspect of the present invention, a method of cuttingpaper is provided, comprising the steps of positioning a paper strip inengagement with a support structure having an elongated slot thereinwhich extends transverse to and completely across the width of thepaper, clamping the paper strip between the support structure and asupport member, moving a cutting blade through the paper from a sideopposite the slot with the blade passing through the slot to sever thepaper strip. The method also preferably includes using a saw-toothblade. The method further preferably includes placing a tray beneath thesevered end of the strip to receive the strip, moving a sweeper barwithin the tray to move the severed strip towards an end of the tray andthen moving a portion of the paper strip up stream of the blade adjacentthe slot, away from the support structure.

In still another aspect of the present invention, a method of brewingcoffee is provided which includes the steps of initiating and continuingthe flow of water into a brewing chamber, substantially simultaneouslyinitiating and then continuing the flow of ground coffee into thebrewing chamber allowing the coffee and water to mix in the chamber fora predetermined time to produce a coffee mixture while continuing theflow of each, discontinuing the flow of water and ground coffee into thechamber, beginning withdrawal of the coffee mixture from the chamber,reinitiating and continuing the flow of water in to the chamber for apredetermined amount of time while the mixture is being withdrawn fromthe chamber, discontinuing the flow of water into the chamber,withdrawing substantially all of the remaining mixture in the chamber,and removing the remaining ground coffee from the chamber. Preferably,the step of removing the mixture from the chamber includes removing itthrough the bottom of the chamber through use of a vacuum pump.

Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointedout hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of the cabinet of the preferred embodiment ofthe present invention showing the removable tray partially removed fromthe cabinet;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the inside of the preferredembodiment of the present invention with the front cabinet door removedand the removable tray in position within the cabinet;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 with the removable tray removed;

FIG. 4 is a pictorial view of the preferred embodiment with the storagecanisters in their extended, filling position;

FIG. 5 is a schematic pictorial view of the preferred embodiment showingthe filling of one of the storage containers;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged pictorial view of the brewer and filter paperadvancing mechanism of the preferred embodiment with the brewer in theclosed position;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 with the brewer in the open position;

FIG. 8 is a front elevational view of the paper cutter mechanism of thepreferred embodiment partially cut away and partially in cross-section;

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the paper cutter mechanism of the preferredembodiment partially cut away and partially in cross-section;

FIG. 10 is a bottom plan view of the paper cutter mechanism of thepreferred embodiment partially cut away and partially in cross-section;

FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view of the paper cutter mechanismtaken along line 11—11 of FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view through the paper cutter mechanism atthe same location as FIG. 11, but with the cutter mechanism moved to itsforward most position;

FIGS. 13a and 13 b are enlarged views of the saw-tooth blade of thecutter mechanism of the preferred embodiment of the present invention;and

FIG. 14 is a pictorial view showing the paper collection tray insertedbelow the paper cutting mechanism of the preferred embodiment.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding partsthroughout the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The preferred embodiment of the table-top coffee vending machine of thepresent invention is illustrated generally by numeral 10 in FIG. 1. Asshown in FIG. 1, the coffee machine 10 has a cabinet 12 with a frontservice door 14 which is hinged on the left at 16 to allow the door tobe swung open. Shown in the lower right of the drawing is a removablecut paper collection tray 18 which can be slid in and out of the bottomcabinet 12 and is shown in FIG. 1 as being removed from the cabinet fromits normal location. A cup station 20 with a spilled liquid collectiondrain 22 is positioned in the front door for receiving brewed coffee ina cup positioned thereon. A product selection key pad 24 is provided onthe front door 14 which is used by a customer to make the selection ofcoffee, hot chocolate and any condiments such as sugar or creamer to beincluded so as to control the machine 10 in a well-known manner toprovide the brewed coffee selection or hot chocolate as desired.

The coffee machine 10 as illustrated in FIG. 2 with the service door 14removed, generally includes a brewing chamber 26, a mixing bowl 28 withor without a whipper assembly for whipping the hot chocolate or coffee,a condiment or hot chocolate storage container 30 and a ground coffeestorage container 32. Containers 30 and 32 are removably supported on aframe member 34 which in turn is secured at its sides to telescopingrails 36 and 38. Although only two such containers are shown, it iscontemplated that any desired number of containers can be utilized tosupply additional ingredients. As best seen in FIG. 4, containers 30 and32 can be pulled out on the telescoping rails from the housing orcabinet 12 and after filling, returned to their position within thecabinet as seen in FIG. 2. With reference to FIG. 5, the lids 40 and 42can be removed from containers 30 and 32 to add additional ground coffeeor hot chocolate ingredients or condiments to the containers withoutactually removing them from the frame 34 and telescoping rails 36 and38. However, if the need arises for example for cleaning, the containers30 and 32 can be lifted off of the frame and removed entirely from thecabinet 12. Ingredients from either canister are dispensed throughnozzles 33 and 35 into the mixing bowl 28 and brewer 26, respectively.The ingredient is supplied to the nozzles 33 and 35 by a motor drivenauger (not shown) in a well known manner.

Referring again to FIG. 2, there is provided a filter paper systemassociated with the brewer which allows a new piece of filter paper tobe positioned within the chamber of the brewer so that the mixture ofhot water and coffee grounds is supported within the chamber above thefilter paper and the brewed coffee is then removed from the bottom ofthe chamber and directed to a cup positioned in the cup station 20. Aroll of filter paper 44 is mounted to a removable spindle 46 which issupported at its ends in slots 48 formed in a U-shaped support member 50on the left side of the brewer 26. Brewer 26 is a two piece brewer, asbest seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, with an upper chamber 52 supported forvertical movement towards and away from the lower chamber 54. The stripof filter paper 56 from the unwinding roll 44 can thus be passed betweenthe two halves of brewer 26 and the brewer then closed on the filterpaper by downward movement of the upper chamber 52 so that the mixtureof water and coffee introduced into the open top 58 of chamber 52 mixesand is then drawn through the filter paper to leave the residue ofcoffee on the filter paper while extracting the coffee mixture to a cup.If desired, the brewed coffee can be drawn from the first chamberthrough the filter paper into and out of the second chamber through anopening in the bottom thereof and then introduced into the cup merely bygravity, although because of time constraints it is preferable to use avacuum pump to withdraw the coffee mixture from the bottom of thebrewer. In the preferred embodiment, a peristaltic pump is used forsanitary reasons although other similar types of pumps could be utilizedas well. Up and down movement of the upper chamber 52 of brewer 26towards and way from the lower chamber 54 can be effected by any desiredmechanical connection such as an electric motor driven cam and followerarrangement which will produce the desired movement. The movement of thebrewing chamber is coordinated with movement of the filter paper strip56 by either a mechanical or electrical connection and controlled by amicroprocessor (not shown) contained within the coffee machine 10 sothat after a brewing cycle the upper chamber 52 is raised and the stripof used filter paper 56 is advanced so that the used portion of thepaper is directed towards the collection tray 18. Such a mechanicalsystem is disclosed, for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,692,incorporated herein by reference. As illustrated in the preferredembodiment and as best seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, the filter paper 56 isadvanced through the use of inter-engaging rotating wheels 60 and 62with ribbed inter-engaging surfaces and positioned at the outer edges ofthe filter paper 56. As the filter paper strip 56 is advanced towardsthe tray 18 it passes through a paper cutting mechanism as showngenerally as 64 in FIGS. 2 through 4. With reference to FIGS. 8 through12, where the paper cutting mechanism 64 is shown in more detail, it isprovided with a blade 66 mounted for reciprocating movement towards andaway from the paper strip 56 so that it passes through the strip tosever it. Blade 66 in the preferred embodiment is a sawtooth blade withbeveled edges which has proven to be effective in severing the wet paperwith abrasive coffee grounds attached to it, and to be able to do thisrepeatedly with relatively little wear thus prolonging the life of theblade 66. Blade 66 is preferably made of stainless steel, such as 26gauge Type 301, and has a 60 degree angle for angle A as shown in FIG.13a, with the shorter teeth being approximately three hundredths of aninch shorter in length than the longer teeth. The beveled edge angle Bon blade 66, as seen in FIG. 13b, is preferably 37.5 degrees. However,it is contemplated that other shapes of blades could be utilized withthe present invention to effectively sever the filter paper 56. Cuttingblade 66 is mounted to a cutting blade support member 68 which in turnis mounted for reciprocating movement within the main support structure70 of paper cutting mechanism 64 which is stationarily mounted withinthe cabinet 12.

The blade support member 68 is a sheet metal formation having a flatbottom 72 extending across the width of the support member andterminating at the sides with upstanding vertical end members 74 whichprovide elongated slots 76. The vertical end members 74 are adjacentsimilar vertical side members 78 in the support structure 70. A pair ofbolts 80 and 82 are positioned in holes drilled in the side members 78which are in alignment with the slots 76 on each side of the cuttingblade support member 68 and nuts are attached to the bolts 80 and 82.The bolts support the cutting blade support member 68 for slidingmovement towards and away from the paper strip 56.

The blade 66 is attached to the blade support member 68 by bolts 84which secure the blade to tabs 86 formed in the support member 68. Theblade 66 is thus fixed to the blade support member 68 for reciprocatingmovement therewith.

Also attached to the blade support member 68 is a paper strip clampingmember 88, also formed of sheet metal. The paper clamping member has avertical face with a blade receiving slot 90 formed across the width ofthe clamping member 88 with sufficient clearance to allow the blade 66to pass through the slot 90 to penetrate the paper strip 56. Clampingmember 88 is mounted to blade support member 68 with two pairs of bolts92 and 94 near each end of the clamping member 88 and attached with nuts96 and 98 through clearance holes in the clamping member. Springs 100are placed on the bolts between the clamping member and the verticalface 102 of blade support member 68 and are maintained in a partiallycompressed state. Springs 100 normally bias the clamping member 88towards its forward most position in front of blade 66, as best seen inFIG. 11. As the blade support member 68 is advanced as described below,and the springs 100 are compressed by the clamping member 68 the bolts92 and 94 pass further through the corresponding holes in the front face102 of the blade support member 68 which in turn allows the blade 66 topass through slot 90 in the front face 102 of the clamping member 68.Preferably attached to the front face of clamping member 88 arecompressible pads 104 and 106 which extend substantially across the faceof clamping member 88 on each side of slot 90. These pads 104 and 106will engage one side of the surface of paper strip 56 to clamp the strip56 for cutting.

The reciprocating movement of the cutting blade support member 68 isachieved through the use of an electric motor 108 that drives a rotatingarm 110 which in turn is provided at its outer end with a roller cam112. Cam 112 is, in turn, received in a cam slot 114 formed on the bladesupport member 68 by a rear wall 116 formed by a vertical bend in thesheet metal support member 68, and a second vertical wall 118 formed byan L-shaped attachment welded to the bottom plate 72 of support member68. As motor 108 is activated and rotates the arm 110 through onerevolution, the cam roller 112 reciprocates within the cam slot 114 tofirst cause the forward movement of the cutting blade support member 68and then the rearward movement thereof as the motor continues to rotatein the same direction so that for one revolution of motor 108 thecutting blade 66 is advanced towards and through the paper strip 56, asshown in FIG. 12, and then returned to its rest position, as shown inFIG. 11.

Attached to stationary support structure 70 is a stationary paperclamping member 120 secured to the structure by bolts 122. Stationaryclamping member 120 is provided with a blade receiving slot 124extending across the vertical face 126 of clamping member 120 and whichis aligned for receiving blade 66 therethrough. A pair of compressiblepads 128 and 130 are adhesively secured to the front vertical face 126of stationary clamping member 120 in alignment with those similar pads104 and 106 secured to the reciprocating clamping member 88.

As best seen in FIG. 10, a spring wire 132 is attached to the sides ofsupport structure 70 and extends across the path of the paper strip 56as it passes through the paper cutting mechanism 64. The wire 132permits some give in the path of movement of the paper strip 56 when thepaper is being cut and it is basically intended to cause the remainingpaper strip that has not been cut to be forced away from the front faceof stationary clamping member 120 when the paper is not held against itby clamping member 88 since the wet filter paper might otherwise have atendency to stick to that face and interfere with the future movement ofthe strip through the cutting mechanism 64.

Also mounted to the support structure 70 for pivotal movement is asweeper bar 134. The sweeper bar 134 is also preferably formed of sheetmetal and has a cross piece 136 extending between two pivotally mountedarms 138 and 140 mounted by bolts 142 to the side members of supportstructure 70. A sweeper drive link 144 in the form of a bent steel rodhas one end engaged in a receiving hole 146 in arm 138 and an oppositeend secured for pivotal movement to the bottom of cutting blade supportmember 68 by a clamping member 148. Thus, as the cutting blade supportmember is reciprocated the sweeper bar 134 is pivoted between aninoperative or retracted position as shown in FIG. 11 where the crossmember 136 is folded up against the bottom of the support structure 70and an operative or extended position as shown in FIG. 12 where itengages pieces of paper cut from the paper strip 56 by the cuttingmechanism 64 and pushes them into a compressed pile as schematicallyillustrated in FIG. 12.

The cut pieces of paper from the paper strip 56 are accumulated in thecut paper collection tray 18 as illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 14. By usingthe sweeper bar 134 to continually compress the collected pieces ofpaper cut from strip 56 the collection tray can hold a much greaternumber of cut pieces than would be the case if they were merely allowedto accumulate in the bottom of the tray. When it comes time forservicing the machine, the service person need merely withdraw the tray18 from the front of the machine without opening the front service door14 and thus easily dispose of the cut pieces of paper and coffee groundswithout the need to access the rest of the machine. In the normal restposition, the sweeper bar is in its retracted position folded up againstthe support structure 70, and thus does not interfere with removal oftray 18.

Because the coffee machine 10 is designed to fit on a standard heightcounter with storage cabinets above at a standard spacing above thecounter, the machine is shorter than prior art machines and is thereforedesigned more compactly than those machines. To achieve this compactdesign a conventional brewing chamber was modified and shortened.However, this resulted in a brewing chamber that was too small to fillwith sufficient coffee grounds and water to provide a full cup ofcoffee. In order to achieve a complete cup of coffee being supplied to acustomer a unique method of brewing coffee was devised which in essencesis a brewing “on-the-fly” method. In this method, coffee and water aresubstantially simultaneously introduced into the brewing chamber. Thecoffee grounds are introduced from the storage container 32 and thewater is supplied from a source of hot water (not shown) in the back ofthe machine 10. At a predetermined time the flow of coffee grounds andwater is interrupted and the mixture is allowed to steep in the brewingchamber, but it is insufficient to supply a complete cup of coffee tothe cup station 20. After a predetermined time the coffee mixture iswithdrawn from the brewing chamber through the filter paper 56 by avacuum pump, such as peristaltic pump 150 which is connected by fluidlines from the brewer and to the cup station 20. As the mixture iswithdrawn from the bottom of the brewer it causes the coffee grounds tobe compressed on the top of filter paper 56 thus forming a bed of coffeethrough which the remaining mixture in the upper part of the brewer mustpass. At about the same time the pump is activated the hot water supplyis again activated and continues to flow for a predetermined amount oftime such that a sufficient volume of water will ultimately be suppliedto provide a complete cup of coffee to the cup station. Since the bed ofcoffee grounds has formed on the filter the reactivation of the watersupply causes this water to pass through this bed and quickly achieve acoffee mixture as it continues to flow through and out of the brewer tothe cup station. Thus, a greater volume of coffee can be supplied with asmaller brewing chamber than would otherwise be possible withconventional equipment.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of theinvention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As various changes could be made in the above constructions and methods,without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended thatall matter contained in the above description and shown in theaccompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

What is claimed is:
 1. In a table-top coffee vending machine having ahousing, a brewing system with a brewer and an ingredient mixing bowl,an ingredient and coffee storage system comprising: at least one storagecontainer having a removable top cap and a dispensing mechanism fordispensing an ingredient therefrom; at least one telescoping railsupporting the at least one storage container for sliding movementbetween an operating position wherein the rail is in a retractedposition and the container is disposed within the housing and thedispensing mechanism can be operated to supply said ingredient, and afilling position wherein the rail is in an extended position with thecontainer disposed at least partially outside the housing such that thecap can be removed from the container for filling.
 2. In a table-topcoffee vending machine having a housing, a brewing system with a brewerand an ingredient mixing bowl, an ingredient and coffee storage systemcomprising: a pair of storage containers having an opening in the topand a dispensing mechanism associated therewith for dispensingingredients from the containers; a pair of members mounted to thehousing and supporting the pair of containers for movement between anoperating position wherein the container is disposed within the housingand the dispensing mechanism can be operated to supply said ingredients,and a filling position wherein the container is disposed at leastpartially outside the housing such that the container can be filled.